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U.K. (FTSE) Professional Services Industry Analysis

UpdatedMar 05, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies36
  • 7D2.0%
  • 3M-16.6%
  • 1Y-29.7%
  • YTD-16.0%

Over the last 7 days, the Professional Services industry has risen 11%, driven by gains from RELX of 5.7%. Meanwhile, Intertek Group actually underperformed within the industry, shrinking 13% in the last week. In the past year, the industry is down 29%. As for the next few years, earnings are expected to grow by 12% per annum.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Professional Services Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Thu, 05 Mar 2026UK£81.6bUK£36.0bUK£3.5b19.2x23.3x2.3x
Sat, 31 Jan 2026UK£84.9bUK£35.9bUK£3.3b20.5x25.4x2.4x
Mon, 29 Dec 2025UK£99.3bUK£36.0bUK£3.4b19.9x29.4x2.8x
Wed, 26 Nov 2025UK£99.6bUK£36.2bUK£3.5b19.7x28.3x2.8x
Fri, 24 Oct 2025UK£110.1bUK£35.5bUK£3.3b22.8x33.3x3.1x
Sun, 21 Sep 2025UK£112.1bUK£36.1bUK£3.4b22x33.4x3.1x
Tue, 19 Aug 2025UK£113.5bUK£36.2bUK£3.4b20.6x33.8x3.1x
Thu, 17 Jul 2025UK£124.7bUK£36.7bUK£3.5b22.2x36.1x3.4x
Sat, 14 Jun 2025UK£120.6bUK£36.6bUK£3.4b22.4x35.4x3.3x
Mon, 12 May 2025UK£124.1bUK£36.5bUK£3.4b23.4x36.1x3.4x
Wed, 09 Apr 2025UK£110.2bUK£36.7bUK£3.5b20x31.8x3x
Fri, 07 Mar 2025UK£117.7bUK£37.2bUK£3.5b24.3x33.7x3.2x
Sun, 02 Feb 2025UK£127.8bUK£37.8bUK£3.4b28.6x38x3.4x
Tue, 31 Dec 2024UK£114.5bUK£37.8bUK£3.4b23.7x34x3x
Thu, 28 Nov 2024UK£120.4bUK£37.8bUK£3.2b24.7x37.1x3.2x
Sat, 26 Oct 2024UK£119.7bUK£37.5bUK£3.2b22.4x36.9x3.2x
Mon, 23 Sep 2024UK£119.6bUK£37.3bUK£3.2b24.3x37.2x3.2x
Wed, 21 Aug 2024UK£116.4bUK£38.0bUK£3.3b21.6x35x3.1x
Fri, 19 Jul 2024UK£114.8bUK£38.4bUK£3.1b18.9x36.8x3x
Sun, 16 Jun 2024UK£118.4bUK£38.5bUK£3.1b19.5x37.7x3.1x
Tue, 14 May 2024UK£113.8bUK£38.4bUK£3.0b19.1x37.6x3x
Thu, 11 Apr 2024UK£110.3bUK£38.5bUK£3.0b22.6x36.4x2.9x
Sat, 09 Mar 2024UK£113.4bUK£40.3bUK£3.0b20.4x37.3x2.8x
Mon, 05 Feb 2024UK£111.0bUK£41.7bUK£3.3b20.8x33.2x2.7x
Wed, 03 Jan 2024UK£104.9bUK£41.7bUK£3.3b21.9x31.4x2.5x
Fri, 01 Dec 2023UK£101.1bUK£41.7bUK£3.5b17.7x29.2x2.4x
Sun, 29 Oct 2023UK£91.0bUK£41.8bUK£3.3b16.9x27.6x2.2x
Tue, 26 Sep 2023UK£94.4bUK£41.7bUK£3.3b19x28.8x2.3x
Thu, 24 Aug 2023UK£89.6bUK£41.2bUK£3.3b18.2x27.3x2.2x
Sat, 22 Jul 2023UK£94.6bUK£39.6bUK£3.3b16.2x28.9x2.4x
Mon, 19 Jun 2023UK£95.4bUK£39.6bUK£3.3b17.2x29.1x2.4x
Wed, 17 May 2023UK£89.6bUK£39.6bUK£3.5b17x25.9x2.3x
Fri, 14 Apr 2023UK£93.3bUK£39.6bUK£3.4b17.1x27.1x2.4x
Sun, 12 Mar 2023UK£91.0bUK£37.1bUK£3.3b19.1x27.2x2.5x
Price to Earnings Ratio

27.2x


Total Market Cap: UK£91.0bTotal Earnings: UK£3.3bTotal Revenue: UK£37.1bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Professional Services Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 32.7x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are pessimistic on the British Professional Services industry, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates will be lower than they have historically.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 24.1x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 32.7x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 2.8x is higher than the industry's current PS ratio of 2.3x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • Both revenue and earnings for companies in the Professional Services industry have remained mostly flat over the last three years.
  • This means that sales and the cost of doing business have remained relatively consistent over this period and subsequently, so have profits.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.K. Industrials industry?

GB Market-2.48%
Industrials0.77%
Professional Services1.97%
Research and Consulting Services2.09%
HR Services-4.46%
Industry PE
  • Investors are most optimistic about the Research and Consulting Services industry even though it's trading below its 3-year average PE ratio of 33.4x.
    • Analysts are expecting annual earnings growth of 10.2%, which is higher than its past year's earnings growth of 6.8% per year.
Forecasted Growth
  • Analysts are most optimistic on the HR Services industry, expecting annual earnings growth of 67% over the next 5 years.
  • This is better than its past earnings decline of 35% per year.
  • In contrast, the Research and Consulting Services industry is expected to see its earnings grow by 10% per year over the next few years.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
REL RELXUK£25.535.7%
+UK£2.4b		-31.9%PE22.2x
EXPN ExperianUK£26.850.9%
+UK£161.0m		-27.1%PE23.8x
CPI CapitaUK£3.605.9%
+UK£22.7m		72.4%PE25.3x
ELIX Elixirr InternationalUK£7.206.2%
+UK£20.8m		-11.8%PE19.2x
RWS RWS HoldingsUK£0.764.5%
+UK£12.2m		-37.8%PS0.4x

Latest News

PAGE
UK£1.79
PageGroup
7D
-4.4%
1Y
-45.1%
DATA
UK£0.74
GlobalData
7D
-9.5%
1Y
-58.9%
ITRK
UK£40.34
Intertek Group
7D
-12.8%
1Y
-23.2%
STEM
UK£1.74
SThree
7D
5.5%
1Y
-30.0%

STEM: Share Repurchase Programme Will Support Bullish Long Term Outlook

Analysts have made a modest trim to their price target on SThree to £3.00, reflecting slightly higher assumed discount rates and small tweaks to long term growth, margin and future P/E assumptions. What's in the News On January 27, 2026, SThree plc announced that its Board of Directors would consider a share repurchase program of up to £20 million of its shares, indicating early discussions around returning surplus capital to shareholders (Key Developments).
CPI
UK£3.60
Capita
7D
5.9%
1Y
72.4%

CPI: Higher Margins And Refined Discount Rate Will Support Future P/E

Analysts have increased their price target on Capita by £0.50, citing updated assumptions on fair value, discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin, and future P/E as the key drivers behind the change. Analyst Commentary Bullish analysts are framing the £0.50 uplift in the price target as a reflection of refined assumptions rather than a sudden change in view.
BTG
UK£1.19
BTG Consulting
7D
0.4%
1Y
28.2%
HAS
UK£0.40
Hays
7D
-7.2%
1Y
-45.9%
REL
UK£25.53
RELX
7D
5.7%
1Y
-31.9%

AI Cost Pressures And Data Regulation Risks Will Shape A Cautious But Constructive Outlook

Catalysts About RELX RELX provides information based analytics and decision tools across risk, scientific research, legal and exhibitions markets. What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
MHA
UK£1.25
Mha
7D
-11.4%
1Y
n/a
KEYS
UK£5.07
Keystone Law Group
7D
-8.2%
1Y
-1.4%
KGH
UK£1.59
Knights Group Holdings
7D
-8.9%
1Y
10.8%

KGH: Higher Dividend And Steady Outlook Will Support Future Rerating

Analysts have revised their fair value framework for Knights Group Holdings, keeping the implied value steady at £2.52 while fine tuning inputs such as the discount rate and future P/E assumptions. This feeds through to a slightly adjusted overall risk and return profile in their price target work.
ELIX
UK£7.20
Elixirr International
7D
6.2%
1Y
-11.8%

ELIX: Solid Dividend And 2025 Revenue Guidance Will Support Further Upside

Analysts have maintained their fair value estimate for Elixirr International at £11.40 per share, with only very small tweaks to inputs such as discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E. This suggests their overall price target and investment case remain broadly unchanged.
EXPN
UK£26.85
Experian
7D
0.9%
1Y
-27.1%

EXPN: AI Mortgage And Data Partnerships Will Support Future Upside

Analysts have trimmed their price targets on Experian, with one major firm cutting its target by £0.83. The change reflects slightly adjusted assumptions on fair value, discount rate and forward P/E, rather than a change in the core growth or margin outlook.
RWS
UK£0.76
RWS Holdings
7D
4.5%
1Y
-37.8%

RWS: New AI Patent And Dividend Policy Will Support Long-Term Upside

Analysts have reduced their price target on RWS Holdings from £1.82 to £1.52, citing revisions to fair value assumptions alongside updated views on the discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E expectations. What's in the News RWS confirmed that Stephen Lamb has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, with his appointment taking effect on March 2, 2026, following an earlier announcement in October 2025 (Key Developments).
FNTL
UK£1.97
Fintel
7D
-7.9%
1Y
-29.6%

Are Investors Undervaluing Fintel Plc (LON:FNTL) By 41%?

Feb 16
Are Investors Undervaluing Fintel Plc (LON:FNTL) By 41%?
XCE
UK£0.013
Connecting Excellence Group
7D
8.0%
1Y
n/a